The Stunning and Unanswerable Zero-Shiki Serve
"Brilliant Talent of Tempered a Hundred Times refinements in spin, power, and speed, coupled with the ability to anticipate and experiment with various shot trajectories..."
Looking at the tennis ball at his feet, the light in Muneyoshi's eyes faded, and a shadow appeared.
At this moment, Muneyoshi's demeanor had undergone a fundamental change compared to when he was bathed in sunlight:
"What a wonderful combination and amazing skill! I only started studying this light yesterday, and it seems that its flexibility is still lacking if I don't use my full strength."
Apart from Tezuka, who had been watching him intently from across the court and was under his mental pressure, no one noticed the change in Saeki Muneyoshi in that instant.
Even Tezuka was only secretly on guard at this moment.
Tezuka, now back on the service line, serves again, unleashing the full potential of his Tempered a Hundred Times and Brilliant Talent, resulting in a significant boost to his abilities.
Snap... Snap...
He gently tapped the tennis ball twice with his hand, then tossed it high into the air.
Swish...
His radiant left hand fell, and the tennis ball became a streak of yellow light. After flying over the net, it plummeted downwards, landing precisely at the bottom corner of the sideline, and flew straight out of bounds.
Seeing this extremely fast serve, Muneyoshi didn't dare to slow down at all, and in just a few steps he rushed towards the tennis ball that was about to fly out of the court.
Sizzle... sizzle...
The racket touches the tennis ball, and the spin from the ball alone is enough to make the racket sizzle.
Here you go.
With a soft shout from Muneyoshi, wisps of light danced on the racket strings as he violently slammed the tennis ball back.
Bang!
With the support of his mental strength, the tennis ball flew over the net, and a powerful mental pressure once again poured down on Tezuka.
The surging spiritual energy impacted Tezuka's mind, but he still managed to withstand it.
But there was that momentary delay.
After shooting out a straight beam of light, the tennis ball landed quickly, heading at a tricky angle towards the Tezuka where Tezuka was standing.
"At this distance, it's too late..." Gan's expression changed slightly.
With Muneyoshi's adaptability, the doubled power honed through Tempered a Hundred Times might be the limit for an ordinary person, but it is definitely not for Muneyoshi.
"Um?"
Beside him, Fuji's sharp eyes keenly caught a glimpse of Tezuka's expression, without the slightest change in his expression.
"No, Tezuka had no intention of moving from the moment he spoke."
"This is..."
He was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized, "Tezuka Zone is active again!"
The moment the tennis ball bounces off Tezuka's backhand baseline.
An invisible current reappeared around his body, Tezuka's hair fluttered gently, and his left arm was raised diagonally.
The tennis ball flew back to him.
Sizzle...
Tezuka took a half-step forward with his left foot, drawing a small arc on the ground.
Then, the racket is pressed down, and the ball is sliced shallowly.
Snap!
The racket and tennis ball touched in mid-air, as if all the force and spin were nullified, leaving only the perfect curve that Tezuka had given them at the end.
"A short ball, this short ball is..."
Muneyoshi's eyes sharpened, fixed on the slowly descending short ball, before he rushed forward.
Those off the court who knew Tezuka Kunimitsu well smiled, "That's Tezuka Kunimitsu's Zero-Shiki Drop Shot!"
"Tezuka, your Zero-Shiki Drop Shot is so flawless that it's practically indistinguishable to the naked eye, but unfortunately, you've forgotten who warned you! Glowing Flame!!"
Just as many spectators were still marveling at Tezuka's calculations and strategies, Saeki Muneyoshi's cool voice came from across the court.
Boom!!
Before everyone's eyes, a black stream of energy rose up from behind Saeki Muneyoshi.
The next moment, his entire racket was enveloped in a faint black mist that shimmered with a purple light.
The domineering Glowing Flame completely extinguished all the spin in the tennis ball.
Bang!
The light in front of me dimmed.
A sharp, crisp sound rang in Tezuka's ears.
His exquisite lob shot hadn't even hit the ground before it bounced back onto the wire mesh behind Tezuka.
"Hiss..."
The tennis ball rubbed violently against the indentation created by the iron net, a wisp of smoke rose, and the tennis ball became incredibly smooth, all the yarn on top disappearing.
Only after losing all kinetic energy did it slowly fall out of the depression.
Tezuka's usually icy face now showed astonishment and emotion. "So powerful. Is this the oppressive force of another realm? But that's exactly how it should be!"
"This is my real opponent... but I will definitely win this round..."
Tezuka took a deep breath and exhaled gently. He glanced back at the fallen tennis ball, then at Saeki Muneyoshi, before continuing to walk towards his service line.
Muneyoshi also felt a little relieved, looking at the black skid marks left on the hard surface by his shoes from running so hard.
That was actually quite dangerous. If he hadn't been familiar with Tezuka and hadn't taken precautions, the ball might have landed directly on the ground if it had been a little later.
The Zero-Shiki Slice won't bounce after landing, which Muneyoshi can use to his advantage on clay courts.
Returning such a tennis ball on a hard court is extremely difficult, almost impossible.
Throughout the original work, no one could break through Tezuka's perfectly executed Zero Style.
Tezuka's calculations for this ball were almost perfect, and Tezuka on-the-spot response was also amazing.
Bang!
With a crisp thud, the tennis ball once again traced a perfect arc, landing in Muneyoshi's half of the court.
Sensing the added spin on the tennis ball, Muneyoshi flicked his right hand, switched the racket to his left, and smashed the ball powerfully.
The Glowing Flame firelight flickered again, instantly extinguishing the rotation.
Bang!
"Um?!"
Tezuka keenly sensed the difference in this ball and decisively abandoned using Tezuka Zone, darting out like a cheetah.
"Tezuka Zone has failed again..."
After a fierce struggle, Tezuka, his entire body glowing with multicolored light, faced Muneyoshi's cross-court shot and forcefully slashed forward with his racket, delivering a Lob.
However, after the tennis ball landed, it didn't bounce and remained quietly at the center line.
The referee quickly announced the score, "Seigaku's Tezuka Kunimitsu scores, the score is 30-30."
"Zero Style Lob... So you've developed this move too?"
It was only the first game, but neither Muneyoshi nor Tezuka showed any sign of giving in.
The first game was also each player's first service game, which could be seen as a test of their respective abilities or a clash of momentum. Tezuka didn't want to lose.
The match continued, Tezuka continued serving.
Bang!
This time, Tezuka only lightly tapped the ball with his toes, not jumping high like he had for the previous four serves, but as Tezuka Kunimitsu served...
The tennis ball flew over the net like a gust of wind, heading straight for Muneyoshi's half of the court.
"That serve... is bad!"
With a quick step, Muneyoshi ran forward.
Muneyoshi's speed was astonishing; he created a gust of wind and arrived at the landing point of the tennis ball in almost an instant.
Not only that, taking advantage of this strong wind, Muneyoshi swung his racket upwards in advance.
However, no matter how hard he tried, the tennis ball, despite its high-speed friction on the hard court, showed no sign of bouncing back. Instead, as the spin disappeared, it gently rolled back towards the net.
Zero Style Serve!
"ACE! Tezuka Kunimitsu Seigaku Gakuen scores! Score 40:30."
The referee's voice rang out the moment the tennis ball stopped rolling.
"This serve doesn't even bounce!"
The players on the Fudomine bench were stunned as they stared at Tezuka Kunimitsu's Zero Style Serve.
How can you return a serve that doesn't bounce back?
How exactly did Tezuka Kunimitsu manage to hit such a serve?
Tezuka, of course, wouldn't answer them at this point.
After scoring with his serve, Tezuka's expression remained icy as he walked to the other service line.
Toss the ball! Take a step! Swing the racket!
The next second, another Zero Style Serve came down.
Muneyoshi was certainly not the type to sit idly by and wait for his fate. At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: to return the tennis ball.
"Dark!"
As soon as Muneyoshi finished speaking, the darkness that had been gathered within him seemed to have received permission.
The next moment, his entire body was enveloped in a faint black mist shimmering with purple light.
The dark, eerie light seemed to open a portal beneath Muneyoshi's feet, spreading outwards from Muneyoshi towards his half of the field.
In the blink of an eye, the black mist covered the playing area of the hard court where Muneyoshi was standing, and then Muneyoshi stopped himself from encroaching on Tezuka's half of the court again.
However, this scene instantly plunged Tezuka into a dark world.
In front of Tezuka's line of sight.
Muneyoshi stood in darkness, yet the sun shone overhead, making him appear like a deity standing in a dark world, utterly mysterious and dangerous.
However, Tezuka only paused for a moment before perfectly executing the serve.
The light from the shadows spread along Muneyoshi's mental energy towards the landing tennis ball, continuously weakening its spin.
The tennis ball then bounced slightly, but lost its kinetic energy and came to a stop.
Muneyoshi's swing failed, but his eyes shone even brighter, because he knew this method was effective.
It was just that his first attempt didn't truly succeed; he needs to try more.
"Game, Seigaku Tezuka Kunimitsu, the score is 1-0."
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Thank Arrietty for the donation.
Thank you, Amethyst Earl, for the generous donation.